Appeal for Heroes orchard in Grantham park reaches three quarters of target

An appeal to raise money for a commemorative orchard in memory of Grantham's part in D-Day and Arnhem during the Second World War has reached three quarters of its target.

A pledge of £5,615 from South Kesteven District Council has delivered a boost to the fund-raising appeal to plant the commemorative Heroes Orchard next to Wyndham Park.

Walton Academy has also come on board with plans for a week of school assemblies and fund-raising activities it hopes will contribute hundreds of pounds to the project.

The crowdfund appeal by the Wyndham Park Forum has so far attracted promises of £9,150 - three-quarters of the way towards the target of £12,193 with an appeal deadline of February 8.

The SKDC pledge is part of the council's CrowdfundSK initiative designed to encourage communities to raise money for local projects by working with specialist crowdfunding platform Spacehive.

The Heroes Orchard appeal aims to create a living tribute to British forces and wartime allies from around the world and a new green space near Wyndham Park which is open to the public.

An SKDC panel of elected members and officers met just before Christmas to assess support for the project and how it would enhance the community and neighbourhood.

Projects must deliver as widely as possible on areas including culture, communities, environment, partnering and wellbeing, explained Cllr Robert Reid, Cabinet Member for Communities and Wellbeing.

Coun Reid said: “This is the first round in our new CrowdfundSK project and it’s very rewarding to see such a great proposal come forward. I hope that businesses and the town get behind it to ensure it becomes a reality.

"It's exciting to see how that this new publicly accessible orchard will not only honour our aviation heritage but also benefit the community and improve the environment. It's a great example of local people working together to develop and deliver projects that make a real difference.”

Wyndham Park Forum chairman John Knowles expressed his gratitude for the CrowdfundSK pledge. He said: “This was an amazing Christmas present for our project. This will be the first new public greenspace in Grantham for many years and we now need a big fund-raising push in January to get us over the line.”

The orchard would cover 3.75 acres with 75 trees to mark the 75th anniversary of Grantham and the district’s role in D-Day and Arnhem and this year’s 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe.

Schools could use the orchard for outdoor learning, and heritage tree providers, the Apples and Orchards project, will supply downloadable activities and resources for primary schools.

A drop-in information event for all backers and interested parties is being held on Monday, January 13, at the Wyndham Park Visitor Centre between 3pm and 7pm.

The fund-raising page can be found at www.spacehive.com/heroes-commemorative-orchard